Support for Abe Cabinet stays at 61%

The support rate for of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet stood at 61.4 percent in March, unchanged from the previous month and continuing its high levels 2½ months after its launch, an opinion poll showed Friday.

The disapproval rating fell 0.8 percentage point to 16.7 percent, according to the poll, which was conducted for four days from March 8. Meanwhile, support for Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party rose 1.7 points to 28.2 percent, up for the third consecutive month.

The high support level apparently reflects the public’s positive assessments of the yen’s depreciation and soaring stock prices on the back of expectations for Abe’s deflation-combating economic policies, as well as the government’s firm stance against North Korea’s nuclear test in February.

The LDP’s junior ally in the ruling coalition, New Komeito, saw its support rise 1.0 point to 4.3 percent.

In the opposition camp, backing for the Democratic Party of Japan sagged 1.3 points to 4.2 percent, the lowest level since it lost power in December’s general election. Meanwhile, Nippon Ishin No Kai (Japan Restoration Party) garnered 2.0 percent support, followed by Your Party at 1.4 percent and the Japanese Communist Party at 1.3 percent.